Membership push to transplant community garden

19 October 2016

Campaign to find more permanent site in Murwillumbah

Organisers of a community garden in Murwillumbah are looking for a more permanent site and are calling for assistance from the community.

Passionate members of the Murwillumbah Community Garden Group have been operating on private land in West End Street. They are looking to build on their progress so far by moving to a more permanent location that is closer to the Murwillumbah town centre.

Council has been supportive of the initiative and is assisting the group’s efforts to relocate.

“The group is inspired to create a new community gardening space where all interested people are welcome to garden together,” project coordinator Pam O’Connor said.

“It can be a really fruitful initiative in which participants learn from each other and grow healthy food.

“Our group is hopefully at the beginning of its own growth spurt – we have started a campaign to attract new members and have begun identifying potential sites for a new garden.”

Group members recently met with representatives of Council, Northern NSW Local Health District, The Family Centre and the Murwillumbah Community Centre to consider priorities and requirements for a new site, such as accessibility, safety, area of land, shade, parking, storage, picnic facilities and access to water.

There are already five community gardens in Tweed Shire, bringing residents together to grow and harvest healthy food, share knowledge about different gardening methods and recycling, help save and protect diverse plants and seeds.

“They also connect communities socially,” Council’s Sustainability Program Leader, Deb Firestone, said.

“Council is excited about this campaign to establish a new space that will build community interest and knowledge in gardening and improve the health and wellbeing of our community.”

The Murwillumbah Community Garden Group campaign will include forming a committee to oversee the garden’s development.

“So we’re inviting people with experience working with committees - or just a passion for gardening or giving back to the community – to get involved,” Ms O’Connor said.

The group is also seeking donations to assist with expenses such as public liability insurance.

For further information about the Murwillumbah Community Garden, phone Pam O’Connor on 0401 605 023 or Deb Firestone on (02) 6670 2555.